One Small Step
by AmandaLovesTwilight
Summary: Post-Outsiders. Johhny's dead, Dally's alive. This story is told from Dallas's POV as he struggles through the painful aftermath of Johnny's death. It follows his journey back to closure and the one special girl who helps show him the way.
1. Preface

PREFACE:

_He ain't gone. _

It was the only thing that was going through my mind as I ran down the dark, city streets. The world around me was bustling with noise and traffic and people, but in my head the only thing I could hear was the deep, sauntering beat of my heart and the lingering noise of Johnny's heart monitor. One long, continuous, high pitched, blood curdling noise that hadn't stopped echoing in my mind since the moment he died; the noise that I knew would haunt me for the rest of my life.

Eventually, a new noise broke through my cloudy mind. Yelling. Screaming.

"Stop!" the voice shouted.

But I wouldn't.

"Police!" the shouts came again, "Stop!"

Perfect.

Managing to do so without slowing my pace, I slipped my hand into the back pocket of my jeans and found the cold, metal handle of the gun.

Abruptly, I spun around , pulling out the unloaded gun and aiming it directly at the mob of police officers that were running my direction.

"Drop your weapon!" One of them shouted.

I didn't.

I didn't even flinch as I watched the all reach for a weapon of their own. I knew that they would shoot; that had been my plan all along. My jaw was set and my shaking hand held the gun firmly out in front of me.

"Drop the gun!" The officer warned one last time.

I refused to move a muscle.

Momentary silence. A gunshot. Pain.

A gasp that I barely recognized as my own escaped my lips as I fell to my knees. I clutched at the bleeding source of the pain right above my chest before letting the rest of my body fall into the soft, wet ground. This was it.

_He ain't gone._

_It was the only thing that was going through my mind as my world faded into blackness._


	2. Chapter 1

**This is my version of a very overdone idea: A Dallas Winston love story. Enjoy!**

**I don't own the outsiders!**

"Screw you, Winston!" Sylvia called after me and I couldn't help but smirk.

It was almost sick how much I loved hearing that anger in her voice when yelled out at me. She deserved it, the pathetic little broad. She should have seen this coming the second she decided to go around spreading rumors about me after I dumped her. Not that anyone would believe her crap over my reputation, but she had to pay, anyways.

"Get in line, honey!" I yelled back, not bothering to turn around.

I heard her let out a frustrated scream as she kicked the side of her already-beaten-up truck. This time I chuckled with amusement. She had always angered so easily. I continued walking until I got to the corner of the building that I had been walking along. I stopped there and turned around to admire my work. My smirk grew wider at what I saw. Sylvia had angry tears in her eyes and a death grip on the truck's door handle. The dirty windshield of the old, red Chevy was almost completely busted out and there were dents and scratches all along the hood and the sides. When I was completely satisfied with the scene before me, I turned back around and began walking again, swinging my heavy, wooden baseball bat at my side.

It was a Saturday night, which usually meant either going to the Curtis's to hang out with the gang or going to Buck's to hunt some action. Choosing between the two didn't take long, though. It was one simple, heart shattering thought that made me cross the street instead of turning right on the sidewalk. Turning right would've meant going to the Curtis's house. Turning right would've meant walking by Johnny's house. It would have meant spending an entire night looking at everyone's 'still-somber-over-the-incident' faces and seeing the scars from the fire on Pony's skin. Walking right instead of walking straight across the street would have meant _remembering_; and tonight, I just wasn't in the mood.

The door was opened for me as soon as I got to the front of Buck's. He must have been expecting me. "Dally!" Yelled a very drunk Buck, slinging his arm over my shoulder and pulling me inside, "Just the man I've been looking for."

"Oh, yeah?" I said pulling out a cigarette and lighting it in my mouth. I took a long drag of it, feeling all of today's thoughts fade away..

"Yeah," Buck said with a slurred voice, "Tim's lendin' out one of his new girls tonight. Said she'd be free of charge 'specially for you. He figured you were still mad 'bout Sylvia and could use some _cheering up_."

He wiggled his eyebrows at the last part. I shrugged at the offer. Selling out the girls who hung around his gang was his Tim's new way of making money. Honestly, the idea wasn't exactly my thing. I could get plenty of broads for free; why pay for one of Tim's? Even though this one would be 'free of charge', as Buck had put it, I still wasn't interested.

"Nah, man," I said, pausing to take another drag of my withering cigarette, "I think I'll hunt for my own tonight."

"You sure, man?" Buck asked, "I heard she was a real-"

"Buck," I said sharply; he was getting on my nerves with his drunken rants, "I said no."

He simply stepped back, his hands up in a surrendering position. (Managing to spill some of his half-empty beer on himself .)

Ignoring him as he began to ramble about something else, I let my eyes scan the loud, crowded room. I saw a drunken blonde dancing a little too close to one of Shepard's guys. By the looks of it, she was a little too wasted, and that guy was going to be one lucky man tonight. I scanned further and was a little surprised to see Two-Bit here. I would've walked over to him, but he looked a little.. Occupied. He had his left arm around a skinny brunette and his right arm around a curvy blonde. Knowing Two-Bit the way I did, it wasn't hard to guess that once things got serious, he would ditch the brunette and take the blonde home for the night. Ha, good ol' Two-Bit. He was a sucker for blondes.

Beginning to think that coming here was a complete waste of my time, I scanned just a little further. That's when I saw something -or someone- move outside the window. I took a second look. It was a Soc broad. Blowing away a lungful of smoke and trying to look casual, I strolled over to the window to get a closer look. The girl was dressed kind of fancy. She was struggling with 2 large paper bags full of groceries. Even from here, about 30 feet away, I could tell she was pretty cute. No, she was hot; smokin' hot. A smirk appeared on my face without my permission. _Finally,_ I thought, _some action. _Without a second's hesitation I made my way out the front door.

I began to strut towards her, noticing more and more with each step how attractive this broad was. She had real straight, dark hair that looked good with her dark skin. She was a bit shorter than myself and she was kind of thin, but not real skinny like the brunette hanging all over Two-Bit. She wore just enough makeup to make her bright green eyes stand out against her freckled face. Slowly, I let my eyes wonder down to her knee-length, red dress. I stopped at where the material curved out over her slender hips. _Boy, did I have plans for her tonight , _I thought as I got closer.

She didn't look up at me until I was only a few feet from her. Oddly, she looked relieved when she saw me.

"Oh, thank heavens!" She said walking towards me, surprising me and stopping me in my tracks. "Can you help me with these? Please, it will only take a moment, my house is right up here and I'm new here and…"

She kept talking, but I didn't hear her. This definitely wasn't what I had planned. Usually when those Socy girls see me, they cringe away, not ask me to help them with their groceries. This chick must have been insane.

Not even bothering to stop blabbing, she shoved one of the big bags into my arms. I continued to stare at her, baffled. Eventually, she noticed my face and stopped talking.

"Oh, golly…" She whispered to herself, looking embarrassed. Then to me, "I'm so sorry, I'm just so frazzled today, what with moving in, and I didn't even introduce myself. My name's Hallie Johnston."

She stuck her hand out like she wanted me to shake it. I raised one eyebrow at her. Was she serious? Doesn't she know who I am?

"Darlin', I don't care _who _you are. I don't carry nobody's groceries," I said. Looking defiantly into her eyes, I released the grocery bag and let it hit the stony ground with a thud, spilling it's contents around our feet. _Ha, that'll show her not to toy with me. _

Surprisingly, though, and much to my disappointment, her eyes weren't glowing with outrage and shock like I had anticipated. Actually, her eyes remained perfectly calm. She gave me a smile before bending down and setting the other bag on the ground. When she stood back up, she put her hands on her hips and looked defiantly back into my eyes.

"Pick it up," She said.

I couldn't help the laugh that escaped my mouth.

"You're kidding, right?" I asked. She raised her eyebrows at me, but didn't say a word. I shook my head and laughed again in disbelief.

"Wow, you're really serious," I said.

"Dead serious," She responded.

The next few moments were like a stare down between this gorgeous, irritating girl and I. Slowly and without looking away, I took the cigarette out of my mouth and flicked it on the ground. It landed dangerously close to her shiny, black shoe. She stomped on it and twisted her foot, grinding my cigarette into the ground.

"Are we just going to stand around here all night, or do you plan on picking up this mess anytime soon?"

I scoffed.

"Shoot, sweetheart," I said, "You can stand out here for as long as you feel like it, but I'm going home. Pick up your own stupid bags."

I turned to leave and took a few steps when a sudden, loud burst of laughter stopped me.

I turned back around to face her. She was cracking up. What was so funny?

"Now what?" I asked, thick annoyance in my voice.

No response, only more mindless giggles.

"What!" I asked again, my voice rising a little bit.

I was seriously getting agitated.

"You _really_ want to know what I'm laughing at?" She asked.

I said nothing, just stared at her.

_Of course I wanted to know, stupid._

She stepped closer to me and smiled ruefully before crouching down to gather the mess of groceries. When she had all of them picked up, she stood up and held the brown bag out to me again.

"Well then," She said, "Why don't we go for a walk, and I'll tell you what I'm laughing at."

I looked down at the package she was holding out. I couldn't tell if I was more repulsed, confused, or surprised at what I was about to do. I unclenched my angry fists and roughly grabbed the grocery bag with both hands. I heard her light, musical laugh, (probably at the sour look on my face) but I didn't dare look down at her . I didn't want to see her satisfaction. She bent down again to get her other bag and then smiled up at me.

"Thanks!" She said, cheerfully, as if we hadn't just been having a huge stand off.

"Don't get used to it," I said and trudged behind her down the old, cracked sidewalk that I knew all too well. It was the sidewalk that led into the main part of town, and more importantly, the sidewalk that led to the borderline between Soc & Greaser territory.

**Reviews, please? Tell me what you think. I have more on the way, so keep checking up on me!(: Thanks!**

**Love, Amanda.**


	3. Chapter 2

"So," said Hallie, "When do I get to know _your _name?"

We had been walking in silence for a few minutes and we were about 2 blocks from the border line.

"You don't know who I am?" I asked. Almost everyone is Tulsa knew me, or had at least heard countless rumors about me.

She turned to look up at me, her eyebrows furrowed in.

"Should I?" She asked, clearly confused.

I just looked straight ahead and laughed a small, dark laugh.

"Dallas Winston," I said, expecting her ears to perk up at the name. Surely, even though she'd said she was new in town, she had to have heard my name floating around somewhere.

I was wrong.

"Doesn't ring a bell," She answered automatically.

How 'new' _was_ this girl?

"You a Soc or something'..?" I asked, letting as much acid leak into my voice as possible.

Suddenly her eyes were alive with anger and frustration. She stopped walking and stepped in front of me.

"My goodness!" she shouted, making me blink twice in surprise, "I haven't been here but two days and I couldn't tell you how many times I've heard that question! I don't even know what a _Soc _is! And what is all this _Greaser _business? I'll tell you what, if someone doesn't explain this whole situation-"

I cut her off with my hysteric laughing. I couldn't help myself. This chick was completely clueless.

"What is so funny, Dallas Winston?" She said, clearly still frustrated.

"You've got so much to learn, Darlin'," I said beginning to walk again.

"So, teach me!" She said falling in step beside me, "What is a Soc?"

"A Soc," I responded, "is scum.. Although… they seem to have a similar opinion about us Greasers."

"So, you're a greaser?" she asked.

I nodded and suddenly began to crave another cigarette. I shifted the grocery bag into my right arm and reached into my back pocket with my left. When all my hand found was empty pocket, I frowned in confusion. I checked my other, but that was empty, too. Huh, I could have sworn I had put my pack back there. Oh, well.

"And I take it a Soc isn't something I want to be?" Her statement came out sounding more like a question.

I shrugged.

"Guess it depends on how you look at it," I said looking out into the dark sky. There were a lot of stars out tonight. I bet Pony was looking at it from home. He digs stuff like this; skies and stuff. Not me.

"What do you mean?" She asked and I almost had to laugh at how interested she was in all this stuff.

"Well… Soc's are at the top of the social latter," I explained, "That's how they get their name; it's short for Socials. They think they're tuff stuff. They're rich and all that, so that's a good thing, I guess. On the other hand… let's just say they make up in money for what they lack in morals. Not that I'm one to give a lecture on morals or anything.."

When she didn't respond right away I looked down at her to see if she was understanding.

Her head was straight forward, her face full of thought. I used this moment to admire her looks again. The long, almost-black hair was softly blowing in her face from the gentle breeze. Her bright green eyes were focused and her lips were pursed as she tried to savvy the meaning of my explanation. My gaze traveled lower, noticing how her long, tan arms were exposed by her thin, sleeveless dress. My eyes raised again when she slowly nodded.

"I think I get it," she said.

I didn't respond, I just looked forward again and wished I had a cigarette. That's when I noticed we were approaching the borderline. On the corner, there was a small apartment complex that I'd seem Darry roofing once. It was pretty nice. Middle class, probably.

"Here we are," she sighed and led me up the small walkway. We walked all the way up to the second door, "I can take it from here," She said.

She reached out and took the bag from me. I gave it willingly. It had been getting annoying anyways.

"Thanks," she said as she fumbled with her keys. I nodded once.

"So, uh," I said, stuffing my cold hands in my leather jacket's pockets "Are you going to tell me why were you laughing or what?"

Don't think my irritation at her had worn off yet.

"Oh," she said, smiling again at the reminder, "Yeah, here."

She reached into the side of her paper bag and pulled out a small, wrinkled, white box. In faded green letters on the side it said "Kools". My cigarettes…?

"Smoking is a bad habit," she said with a polite smile.

What the..?

She reached out and dropped the box into my waiting hand. Without another word, she pushed her apartment door open and took a step inside. I turned on my heel to leave with my mouth still hanging slightly agape in confusion.

"Bye, Dallas Winston!" she said in a friendly voice before shutting the door.

"Stupid broad," I muttered to myself and stood there on her front sidewalk for a few seconds. I took a few steps forward towards a tall church on the Soc Side of town. I glanced up at the large clock at the top of the tower.

11:32.

The night was still young.

A familiar smirk crept its way onto my face as I pulled a cigarette out of the crumpled box and lit it up. Bad habit, huh? 'Bad habit' is my middle name.

_This one's for you, Darlin', _I thought taking a long, relieving drag and walking into the darkness.


	4. Chapter 3

Whoever says heartbreak is the worst pain has obviously never had a hangover.

It felt like my head was going to explode. I groaned as I opened my eyes against the harsh light streaming in through the window.

_Geez, it must have been one long night, _I thought, looking over at the clock. It was 2:35 in the afternoon. A loud yawn escaped my mouth as I rolled over on my side, bumping into a warm, breathing heap as I did so.

Oh, great.

I didn't even try to suppress my groan of annoyance. Slowly the night before came back to me in flashes.

Chillin' at Bucks place, drinking his special recipe brew like crazy. Dancing with a few hot broads. Meeting the brunette girl that Two-Bit had ditched -just as I had suspected. Bringing her-

Wait.

I reached over and pulled the corner of the quilt down off the sleeping figure and laughed as my suspicions were confirmed. It was Two-Bit's brunette chick. Ha, wait 'till he got a load of this one.

Before I had the chance to go back to my flashbacks, my stomach growled. I forced myself to get out of bed, wincing from the pain in my head, and put on the closest pair of jeans and a shirt. When I went to grab my jacket, I found an old napkin and a pen lying on my shelf. Smirking at my own cleverness, I picked it up and began to scrawl out a note.

_You were decent. Get out. _

I dropped it on the sleeping figure on my way out the door, chuckling as I went.

I approached Dingo's Diner, the best place to eat on this side of town, and smiled at the sight of Two-Bit's beat up car in the parking lot. I made my way up to and through the clear, glass doors, making a few cat calls at some hot broads outside on the way. Two-Bit spotted me right away.

"Hey, Dally," He shouted across the small diner, "Come on over, man!"

I nodded at him and headed to the front of the room where the cashier was.

"I'll have a Coke and a sandwich," I said, leaning against the counter.

The girl behind the register nodded nervously and hurried away to get my order. When she returned, She held the tray out to me with a reluctant, shaky hand.

_She must have heard some of the rumors about me. _

Everyone had heard- oh wait.

That thought stopped me. Not _everyone _had heard about me, as I had learned from that hot broad last night. What was her name? Hannah? Heather? Oh well, who cares? Whoever she was, she got on my nerves. Her and her stupid groceries and cigarette stealing…

Dismissing the thoughts of the irritating broad, I reached into my back pocket, hoping I'd find money there. Luckily I found a five and slammed it down on the counter. The cashier flinched back a little- earning a smirk from me- and put the bill in the register. Then I made my way over to where Two-Bit was sitting.

He wasn't eating or drinking anything- probably couldn't afford it. Instead, he sat with a wrinkled newspaper in his hand, his head turned sideways with a look of concentration on his face.

I sat down across from him and took a sip of my Coke. It was flat. Scowling, I pushed the bottle a few inches away from me.

Meanwhile, Two-Bit began to read-or tried to read-parts of the headline out loud.

"Apple-O 11 p-prepares to takes flight to the mone," He stuttered, then looked up at me with his eyebrows furrowed in, "What does that mean?"

I rolled my eyes and snatched the newspaper from his hand.

"Give me that," I said, and then began to read it, "It says 'Apollo 11 prepares to take flight to the moon' , stupid."

"Oh," he said, unabashed, "Well that's stupid."

I gave a small nod of agreement and took a bite of my sandwich.

Two-Bit let out a laugh and shook his head.

"The moon," he chuckled in disbelief, "Boy, these people just get stupider and stupider everyday. I mean, I know I'm not one to give talks on bein' stupid, but people on the moon? Shucks."

"We talkin' about that 'Apollo 11 deal' here?" Asked Soda as he appeared beside our table.

"Oh, hey, Soda," Two-Bit said, "Yeah, we're talking about that. Ain't that the stupidest thing you ever heard?"

Soda took a seat next to Two-Bit and studied the newspaper article in front of him.

"Sure I do," Soda chuckled, "Ponyboy seems to think it will work, though. He says this is the _greatest piece of news he ever heard; a breakthrough in history."_

_Two-Bit smiled._

"_Pony would say that."_

_I sat back and listened to them chat about the trip to the moon. _

_Apparently, a couple of guys thought that they could leave planet Earth in some sort of rocket and just take off to the moon. I had to agree with Soda and Two-Bit. It seemed pretty stupid. I don't even think there is air in space.. Is there? Well, I guess the whole world will see that is a scam when something goes wrong. They'll probably blow up or crash, or heck maybe they'll even back out altogether. Its not even worth the risk. What is the point of going off to somewhere else in space when we've done perfectly fine here on Earth? Who knows. Like I said, the whole thing was completely stupid. _

"_So," Soda said, changing the subject, "You catch any action last night, Dal?"_

_I shrugged._

"_Yeah, a little bit," Then remembering, "Oh, Two-Bit, that brunette that was dancing on you last night.."_

_He burst out laughing._

"_You took that little broad home? Good for you, she was hot," He said._

_I smirked._

"_Yeah," I said, "She was alright."_

"_In fact, I would have taken her home if that blonde hadn't been there.." He trailed off. I shook my head and chuckled._

"_Buck said he saw you talking to some dark-haired broad outside the bar last night," Soda said._

_Shoot._

_I blinked and tried to keep my face composed._

"_Oh, yeah," I said calmly, finishing off the last of my sandwich._

"_Said she was a looker, too," Soda added. I wished he'd just shut up. I didn't want them to know about her or that fact that I'd been suckered into carrying some her groceries. It wasn't tough; it wasn't me._

_I nodded and took a sip of my flat Coke. _

"_She was," I said, simply._

"_You catch her name?" Two-Bit asked eagerly._

"_Nah," I shrugged absently, twirling my coke bottle around._

"_Well, I'll catch you guys later," Soda said, standing up, "I have to get back to the DX before Steve skins me for leaving him to work alone." _

"_See you, man," I said as he walked off._

"_Yeah," said Two-Bit, "I better get going, too. My mom needs me to watch my sister. I'll catch you later."_

"_Later," I repeated and he walked away. _

_I stood up and began to gather my trash when I saw a familiar face outside the window. It was Hallie. She was standing outside of the Tulsa Memorial Cemetery (across the street), leaning against one of the black posts of the entrance. _

_I felt a smirk grow on my face. She may have been annoying and irritating last night, but it didn't change the fact that she was the hottest broad I ever saw. And as far as I knew, I had no plans tonight.. Yet._

_I tossed my sandwich wrapper and empty Coke bottle in the trash and strutted out across the street to meet her. _


	5. Chapter 4

I came up silently behind her and wrapped my hand around one of the black, metal bars that make up the gate in front of the cemetery. Her eyes were focused on something far off into the cemetery, so she didn't seem to notice my presence.

"You got somebody in there?" I asked.

She didn't respond.

"The cemetery, I mean," I clarified, "Someone you know buried in there?"

Still, no response.

I rolled my eyes in annoyance and followed her gaze out into the graveyard.

I could almost see Johnny's grave from here. I hadn't been up-close to the small, cheap tombstone since the funeral- the funeral that the gang and I had barely paid for, putting all of our money together. His parents made it obvious that they wanted nothing to do with it. They didn't even show up to their own son's funeral. _If only I could get my hands on those stupid, little… _

I didn't notice how tight my grip on the metal bar was getting until it sent a shooting pain up my arm. Automatically, my hand went straight to the point on my chest where the all-too-recent bullet mark was. The cop's bullet had just missed my heart, the doctor had said. I'm lucky to be alive, apparently. Really, I'm just lucky not to be locked up again. The doctors told the cops to go easy on me because the weapon I'd pulled wasn't loaded and they also said to consider my - what had they called it? - current stressful situation. Yeah, that hadn't made the fuzz too happy, but they decided to let me off easy anyway. Not that I could think about any of this. I don't remember that day very clearly. The only thing that my mind would process was the fact that Johnny was dead. Gone. _Forever._

It hadn't been until a day or two after that I had begun to notice everyone else again. Stevie was real quiet. Soda was cryin'. Two-Bit was cryin', too. And Pony, man.. That kid was all kinds of torn up. You could even see tears in Darry's eyes if you looked real close. Course, they all came to visit me in the hospital, but not a whole lotta talking got done. Most of us just sat around and smoked until the doctors and nurses had to kick them out and take my cigarettes. Things were this way for a few weeks. In fact, now, almost 3 months later, things were just startin' to settle again. For everyone but me, it seemed like.

I shook my head, trying to clear it, and reached into my back pocket to grab my pack of smokes when Hallie finally spoke up.

"I thought I told you smoking was a bad habit?" She said, looking up at me with a hint of a smile.

I shot her a scowl and reached back to get my cigarettes anyway.

"What was that about last night?" I asked, lighting up, "You some kind of pick-pocket or something?"

Out of the corner of my eye I saw her smile widen.

"Why don't we take another walk and I'll let you know."

I rolled my eyes and threw my head back in annoyance. Here we go again with the walking.

"Is there a particular reason you can't tell me right here?" I asked, "What is with you and taking walks?"

"I like to take walks," she said simply.

I rolled my eyes and blew out a gust of smoke from my cigarette.

"Well?" She asked, blinking innocently.

I sighed and put the box of cigarettes back in my pocket. Whatever. I needed to get away from this gravesite in any case. I shrugged and followed her as she began walking back to the Greaser territory area. The graveyard, along with a lot of other public places (like the library, shopping center, and central park), were all in the 'middle class' side of town. Basically, it was between the borders. Socs and Greasers both came here at the same time, but never made much contact.

"We used to be poor," Hallie said out of nowhere.

"What?" I asked.

"We used to be real poor," she repeated, "So I had to steal. To get food, money, whatever. That's where I learned to take your cigarettes like that."

"Oh," I said. I never would of guessed that, coming from this chick who dressed in designer clothes and lived in a good neighborhood.

"Yeah," she continued, "We were homeless a few times, up until I was old enough to get my own job."

"Impressive," I muttered, sarcastically.

"I wasn't trying to be," she said, suddenly serious.

I laughed.

"It was a joke, sweetheart," I said.

"Okay," she said, "what is with all this 'sweetheart' and 'darlin' stuff. I have a name you know."

I stared at her blankly.

"Hallie..?" She said, seeing if it would ring some sort of bell in my head. It did.

"Whatever you say, babe," I smirked, knowing that it would tick her off.

Instead of getting angry and walking off (like most girls eventually end up doing with me) she smirked and rolled her eyes. _Good, _I thought, _She's not the whiney, angry type._

Sylvia had given me enough of that garbage to last me a lifetime and a half.

"So where are we walking to, exactly?" I asked.

She shrugged.

"Wherever," She said.

A smirk grew on my face without my permission.

"You ever been to Buck's?" I asked.

The music was loud and the place was packed. It was only 5:30 when we got there, but the party had already started. I pulled Hallie through the door and walked her up to the bar. Buck was there, filling up someone's cup and hading it to them. When he saw Hallie and I coming, he stopped what he was doing and waved to me.

"Hey, there, Dally!" He said, "What'll it be for you two tonight?"

I took a bill out my back pocket and slid it across the counter.

"Two beers," I said.

He nodded and turned to get the bottles when Hallie stopped him.

"I don't drink," she shouted over the loud music.

"What?" I asked.

"I don't drink!" She shouted even louder.

"Fine," I grumbled, "A beer and a water."

Buck smirked and turned to get our drinks.

_So much for getting _her _drunk, _I thought.

We both took our seats on the stools in front of the bar. I was about to ask her why she didn't drink when I heard a familiar voice call out.

"Winton !" Tim Shepard called.

I spun stood up and turned to face him.

"What?" I shouted over the music as he began walking closer.

He looked angry and drunk - never a good combination with him.

"I heard you denied my offer the other night," he said in a menacing voice.

"Yeah," I said, "I did. What's it to you?"

He laughed darkly and shook his head.

"Look, Winston, I don't make offers like that very often. So I get real testy when someone doesn't take me up on it, you dig?"

"Let it go, man," I said turning around to sit in my stool again.

That's when I felt his hand shove me.

"Let's settle this!" He yelled.

A small crowd was beginning to form around us.

My face was still turned away from him as I felt my fists tighten and my face scrunch up with anger. It must have been obvious, too, because I heard Hallie's voice from beside me.

"Dallas, let's go," she said softly.

I ignored her, finally spinning around to face Tim.

"Dallas!" She said again as I took a step forward.

Tim didn't need any other cue. He stepped towards me, closing the small distance between us and punched me in the face. I heard Hallie shriek as I steadied myself and threw a punch of my own at him. It went like this for a few seconds, just a simple back and forth until Tim reached into his pocket and grabbed a knife. Without hesitation, my hand went to my pocket, only to find it empty. I looked up at Tim and he looked mad. Usually, he would fight fair. He must be in a bad mood tonight.

Before I had time to react, I saw Tim's switchblade coming at me and felt a searing pain in my left shoulder.

I let out a small grunt of pain, but it was drown out by Hallies loud screaming. I looked up from the bloody mess on my shirt to see Tim running out of the room with a couple of his guys behind him.

"Are you okay?" Hallie asked frantically from beside me, touching my arm.

"Yeah," I groaned, but I was still holding the spot on my shirt where blood was seeping through.

"No you're not," she insisted, "You're coming with me."

I didn't put up a fight as she took my wrist and pulled me out the door. We began walking up the same sidewalk as we had last night on the way to her apartment.

"You sure you don't need a hospital?" She asked wearily.

I nodded stiffly.

"Okay," she said, "but you're coming back to my place. I have a first aid kit."

I didn't respond, I just let her pull me the rest of the way to her apartment.

When we got there, she took out her keys and unlocked the door. She didn't hesitate as she pulled me through the doorway and up the narrow set of stairs. Ironic, how this is how I intended for the night to end, me at her apartment, but now it was under completely different circumstances.

She pulled me straight into her bathroom and sat me down on her closed toilet seat.

"Take off your shirt," she ordered.

Despite the situation, I smirked.

"You could at least buy me dinner first," I joked.

She didn't seem to find it funny.

I sighed and pulled my shirt over my head, ignoring the pain it caused my cut.

By then, she already had her first aid kid out and open on the sink.

"This may hurt a little," she said after dousing a cotton ball in rubbing alcohol. She touched the ball lightly to my cut and looked at my face for a reaction. It burned but I didn't show it on my face. It wasn't bad compared to actually getting the cut. When she was confident that she wasn't hurting me too bad, she rubbed a little bit harder, wiping all the blood away from the area.

"I don't think you'll need any stitches," she said, throwing the reddened cotton ball into the trashcan, "But you will need to bandage it up."

She got out some gauze and medical tape and began to work over me. I admired the look of concentration on her face as her hands busily moved.

"Were you a Civil War nurse in another life or something?" I asked with a chuckle.

She smiled a little bit, not looking away from her work.

"No," she said, "I do want to be a nurse, though."

I nodded, wincing a little bit as some of the tape got caught on my cut.

"Sorry," she mumbled absently.

Finally, a few seconds later, she stood up and admired her work proudly.

"There," she said, smiling, "All finished."

She leaned over to the sink and washed her bloody hands off.

"Uh, thanks," I muttered as I bent over to grab my bloodied shirt.

"Oh," she said looking at my shirt, "Hold on, I'll be right back."

She left the room and I heard rustling in the room next to this one. She returned a few moments later, holding out a large, faded tee shirt out to me.

I looked at her in confusion.

"It was my dad's," she explained, "You need something clean to wear home."

"Oh," I said, "Thanks."

I took the shirt from her and put it on. It was a little loose on me, but it fit good enough.

It was quiet for a few seconds until she spoke up with a smile.

"You owe me," she said.

I raised my eyebrows at her.

She simply grinned back before shutting the bathroom light off and skipping down the stairs.

I followed after her. We both stopped when we were in the doorway.

"Tomorrow," she said, "meet me in that old lot down the street. 8 o'clock sharp."

She must have meant the lot that the gang and I go to sometimes.

My eyes must have shown reluctance because she looked at me sternly and crossed her arms.

"You owe me," she said again.

I sighed.

"_Fine," I said. _

_She smiled._

"_8 o'clock," she reminded me._

"_8 o'clock," I repeated and walked out the door. _


	6. Chapter 5

I showed up at the lot a few minutes after 8. Hallie was already there, hot as ever, sitting on a bench across the lot. She stood up when she saw me and began to walk in my direction.

"Hi, Dallas," She said when she was a few feet away from me, " I'm glad you came."

I nodded and shoved my hands in my pockets.

"So, uh," I said, "What exactly are we doing tonight?"

_Hopefully something with beer, _I thought. I bet she'd be pretty fun, drunk.

She turned her head in confusion and then looked around her, gesturing her arms out to the lot.

"We're staying here, of course," she smiled.

Of course we were.

"And doing what, exactly?" I said a little sharply.

She shrugged and grabbed my arm.

"Come on," she said.

I let her pull me behind her until we reached the tree in the middle of the lot. When we got there, she sat down on the grass and patted the spot next to her.

I closed my eyes and sighed, but sat down anyway.

"Now what?" I asked with a hint of annoyance. How she considered this fun, I had no idea.

"We sit," She said, "We talk. I don't know a thing about you, and you don't know a thing about me. Let's change that."

"What's there to know?" I asked.

She seemed to find this amusing.

"What about the other day?" She asked, giggling, "You were shocked that I didn't know your name. Tell me what I'm missing out on."

I smirked.

"Shoot, darlin.." I laughed a single throaty laugh, "I don't mean to blast my own horn, but… I'm the guy nobody messes with."

I couldn't really think of another way to put it.

"Wow," She said, amusement still apparent in her eyes, "Definitely not blasting your own horn."

I shrugged.

"You wanted to know," I reminded her.

"Okay," She said, "So you're tough, huh? Where you from?"

"New York," I said leaning back on my arms.

"Oh, really?" She said, seeming to be surprised, "What made you move here?"

I hesitated, picking at the grass.

She cocked her head to the side.

"If you don't want to answer that-"

"My old man," I interrupted her, "I wanted to get away from my old man."

"You live on your own, now?" She asked.

I nodded.

Her eyebrows slightly raised and then furrowed in.

"How old are you anyway?"

"17," I replied, "Almost 18."

"Same," she said, lying down on her side, propping herself up on her elbow. I was getting tired of answering all the questions.

"What about you?" I asked, offhandedly.

She began picking at the grass, too.

"I'm from Washington," She said, "I moved here because my dad.. Got a job offer."

I noticed the bit of reluctance in her voice when she mentioned her father but I didn't say anything about it. Things got silent after that, both of us looking off in different directions. I cringed when I saw the open alley way at the edge of the grass. It was the same ally way that we had found Johnnycake in the day after his beating. I closed my eyes and could perfectly picture that day in my head. No matter how hard I tried to clear my head of the mental pictures, they were always there. Always reminding me.

I quickly turned my head away, trying to find something-anything- to distract me.

Luckily, my eyes found Hallie's legs. They were stretched out in front of her and crossed at the ankle. I think I felt my jaw slightly open as my gaze traveled up her legs to the seem of her black skirt. It wasn't as revealing as the girls' clothing around here, but the sitting position she was in had pushed it up a little until it was about halfway down her thigh.

_Oh, what I wouldn't do to get under that-_

Hallie startled me by her abrupt closeness when I heard her pointedly clear her throat. I looked over to see that she had moved her face closer to mine. We were only inches away from each other now. I blinked a few times in surprise.

She said nothing, just looked at me and opened her mouth slightly as she drew in closer.

"I thought only the sleazes kissed on first dates." I whispered when her lips were an inch away from mine.

"Hey, I'm not into the whole 'labels' thing, remember? Besides, we could technically count Buck's as our first date. This is our second date."

"Mmm," I hummed seductively, leaning closer to her, "And how far exactly do we go on the 2nd date?"

Suddenly, she smirked and backed away, raising her voice back to its normal dynamic.

"Yeah, yeah, don't go getting too excited," she said before lying back and flattening herself into the grass. The moment was officially over.

I did the same, closing my eyes as my head touched the soft grass.

It was quiet for a little bit.

"While we're on the subject," She said, "These are.. well.. _dates.. _aren't they?"

I chuckled darkly without opening my eyes.

"That depends what your definition of a date is," I answered calmly.

She was quiet for a minute. I heard let out a frustrated sigh and turn over to face me again.

"Are we.. I mean.." Her voice trailed off. I could tell she was getting irritated with herself, "Are we a _thing_?"

One of my eyes popped open at this. I turned my head slowly to look at her.

_A thing? As in.. like, going together?_

Her eyes were nervous and her cheeks were slightly flushed. I laughed a throaty laugh, earning a look of slight confusion from her.

"A thing?" I repeated. She nodded.

I just laughed again, a little bit louder this time.

"What's so funny?" she asked, sitting up.

I rolled my head back into the grass again and closed my eyes.

"I don't _date," _I said, only half lying. It was more like I didn't date girls like _her._

"You're telling me you've _never_ had a girlfriend?" she asked incredulously.

"Again," I laughed, "That depends on your definition of a _girlfriend_."

"Ugh!" She huffed, slapping the ground, "Can't anything just be a simple, back-and-white answer with you?"

"No," I said, truthfully.

She waited a couple of seconds before trying again.

"Okay," she said, "What definition of girlfriend do you use?"

"Not the type that you'd ever be," I said.

"Am I supposed to take offence to that?" She asked after a few seconds.

I shrugged.

"Do what you want with it," I said, "Its just the truth."

"Well how do you know what kind of girlfriend I would be?"

I rolled my eyes behind my closed eyelids and sat up.

She was looking at me with raised eyebrows, waiting for an answer.

"Well," I said, "Tell me this. If you were to -oh, I don't know- walk in on me with another girl, drinking a beer, and probably on the run from the cops, what would be you're reaction?"

"I'd buy you a 'boyfriend- of -the -year' trophy, of course," she said smiling.

"I'm sure you would," I mumbled to myself, then to her, "Point is, that kind of thing is my life. I don't think it exactly matches up with yours."

"You wouldn't know," she said insistently.

"You don't care that I'm some hood?"

"No," she said, "Not to mention, that could always change."

_Ha, Wrong, _I corrected her mentally.

"I grew up on the streets of New York," I tried again to scare her off.

"So?" She said and waved it off.

"I get in gang fights."

"And?"

"I was arrested at the age of ten!" I raised my voice a little.

She shrugged.

"Kids will be kids," she said as if getting arrested before hitting puberty was the most normal thing in the world.

I sighed. She really wasn't getting it.

I mean, she was hot. Undeniably so. She would be one heck of a good lay. But a _girlfriend?_ _Dallas Winston's girlfriend? _She simply didn't fit the part. Honestly, a girl like this would affect my reputation, and around here, reputation was everything.

"Just, answer me this," I huffed, "Why do you even want to be my girl, huh? You're not some greaser girl, you're practically a _Soc_. "

I spat the last word like it was poison in my mouth.

"That's ridiculous, Dallas," she said staring into my eyes and shaking her head, "This whole gang thing is absolutely ridiculous! I was attracted to you before I knew you were a _greaser. _Heck, that was before I even knew what a greaser _was_."

I smirked.

"So you're attracted to me, huh?" I teased, lightening the mood.

"Shut up," she laughed and lightly slapped me again, "I'm being serious."

I bit my lip trying to hide my smile.

"And yes," she continued, "I am attracted you, Dallas. But it's more than just physical. I don't know you well, and I don't know why, but I think I like you."

Her eyes were serious. She looked up at me through her ridiculously thick eyelashes chewed on her lip. It was almost seductive.

"Exactly," I said, "You _don't _know me well."

"So give me the chance to change that," She begged.

I smirked and rolled my eyes at her persistence. I was about to respond and tell her she didn't know what she'd be getting herself into when I heard a car pull up behind us. I reflexively stood up and turned to face it. A Mustang. Figures.

My hand twitched toward my back pocket where my switchblade was as the two boys got out and walked over to us.

They didn't even look at me at first. Instead they looked past me at Hallie. They're expressions were almost friendly. Of course they would be.. With their _own _kind.

"He bothering you, sweetheart?" The taller one asked.

"No," I heard her reply sharply.

"I haven't seen you around," said the other, continuing to ignore my presence, "And you certainly don't look like your from _this side of town."_

_By the way he said it, it was obvious he mean greaser territory. _

"_I don't know what you're talking about," She said cooly, "But where I am from is none of your business."_

"_Just trying to help," he replied with smirk and a shrug, "You know, you really shouldn't hang out with trash like him. Why don't you come with us instead?"_

_The tall one took a step toward her and she automatically stepped back._

"_Don't touch me," she snapped as he took another step and reached for her arm. _

_I was surprised when I heard my own voice; a low, threatening tone. _

"_Get your hands off my girl," I growled, pulling my switchblade out. _

_Despite the situation, I was amused to see the smile that crept its way onto Hallie's face as she yanked her arm away from the Soc and stepped into place beside me. _

"_Whatever," The short one said, "she isn't worth it if she's dating this hood."_

"_Watch it, pretty boy," I warned as they walked past us and got back into their car. _

_After they drove off, yelling a few profanities in our direction, Hallie turned to me. _

"_Really?" She asked with gleaming eyes._

_I didn't have to ask what she meant. _

_I just shrugged and gave a slight nod in response as I put my switchblade away and reached for my cigarettes. Her widening smile was almost audible. I pulled a cigarette out and lit it up with my last match. Eagerly, I brought it up to my mouth, anticipating the relief from the smoke, but the stick was unexpectedly knocked to the ground and Hallies lips crashed against mine. _

_I didn't respond automatically, but soon, my lips were moving against hers, arms snaking their way around her waist. My foot absently found the cigarette and stamped it out. We stayed like this for a few enjoyable seconds until she pulled back and smiled up at me, showing her perfect, white teeth. _

_And because I could never help myself around her, I smiled back. _


	7. Chapter 6

**A/N: (PLEASE READ!) Woohoo, update time!(: So, this chapter is pretty much an inner-monologue-type-thing from the great depths of Dallas's mind: his thoughts on Hallie, Johnny, Sylvia, whatever - you get the point. I'm trying really hard to capture Dallas's character in my writing. I don't know if it's working (let me know if it is/isn't!) but I am continuing to try my hardest. I've never written from the point of view of a hardened gangster from the sixties before, but I'm finding it increasingly difficult, lol. Also, I'm going to make it a point to try and make this Dallas/Hallie relationship develop **_**slowly.**_** I have read - and know how irritating it is to read - stories in which Dallas just falls in love at the drop of a dime. Which, as we all know, Dallas Winston would never do. So I don't want my fic to become another one of 'those'. It's going to take a very special person and one heckuva long time to get Dallas to realize that love even exists. That being said, I want this story to be realistic, and I want **_**my **_**perception of Dallas to match up with S.E. Hinton's **_**original **_**Dallas. (If that makes any sense.) (; Okay, enough with my random, long speech, and I hope I didn't offend anyone! I tend to unintentionally do that sometimes ;] Reviews do encourage me to write more, so please, if you have anything at all to say, go ahead! (: Okay, now on with the story!**

"Go long!" Yelled Steve, getting in his stance and preparing to throw the football.

I ran back a couple yards and watched as the old, ratty ball soared through the air and landed right in my hands. I lifted my leg and tossed the ball under and up, only to catch it again in the air with one hand, letting out a yelp of victory.

"Show off!" Steve shouted with a toothy grin.

I laughed and threw the ball back at him. When he caught it, he looked down at it, his face deep in thought.

"I'm open!" I yelled from across the lot, trying to get his attention back.

He looked up at me, but instead of passing the ball, he ran it in to me.

"What's wrong?" I asked, a little irritated that our game had been cut short.

His lips were slightly pursed and his eyebrows still were furrowed with thought.

"Nothing," he said offhandedly, "But, uh, can I talk to you for a minute, Dal? I have something to show you."

"Sure," I shrugged, reaching back for my box of cigarettes.

We walked over to the tall oak tree in the middle of the lot and sat down under it's shade. I expected him to start talking once we were seated, but all he did was sit there with that same thoughtful face.

"What is it?" I asked, trying not to let my irritation show.

"I think.." He started and trailed off, "I think I'm going to ask Evie to marry me."

He reached in his pocket and pulled out a cheap looking, silver ring.

He looked up at me to see my reaction.

My eyes and mouth widened in surprise for a moment, causing my unlit cigarette fall to the ground. I reached down to pick it up, hurrying to compose my face.

"Is she.." I began, "Did you get her pregnant?"

Steve let out a small chuckle.

"No," he said, "No, she ain't pregnant."

I blinked and stared at him for a long time, waiting for him to continue.

"I just.. I don't know," he said, looking down at his hands.

I wasn't used to seeing Steve like this - all soft and nervous. He was usually tough. Like me.

"You remember what happened with Soda and Sandy, right?" He asked.

I thought back to the time when Pony and -_I couldn't say his name_- had run away, leaving his brothers and the rest of us worried. Soda was a mess with worry. And Sandy, that broad that he had cared for so much, hadn't made it any better by showing up at his doorstep with news of her leaving off to Florida and some other guy's bun in the oven.

"Yeah," I nodded, "I remember. So?"

"Remember how torn up Soda was when she left?" He asked again.

I did remember. I nodded.

"Soda really cared about Sandy," he said looking at me, then he let his voice dropped to a gruff whisper, "I would even say he loved her."

"What's that got to do with you and Evie, though?" I asked, getting more and more confused as this conversation continued.

"Well, seeing my best friend like that… After she left him.." he said, shaking his head, "It made me think, you know? About Evie and I. I thought about what it would be like if she left me like that, with _news _like that. And what I realized is that.. I don't know.. I guess I care about her more than I thought."

"Enough to marry her?" I asked incredulously. I didn't know why, but the thought of Steve falling for some girl made me mad. He was supposed to be hard and tough and not let anyone or anything get to him.. Like me.

He looked down again and let out a big sigh.

"Yeah," he said quietly at first, then a bit more confident, "Yeah, Dally. I want to marry her."

I just nodded and gave a shrug of false indifference.

"Whatever," I said, lighting up my cigarette and leaning against the tree.

"You ever think about the future, Dal?" He asked after a few silent minutes.

"What?" I asked.

"The future," he repeated, "Like marriage and stuff."

I smirked and closed my eyes.

"You really thing some girl is going to want to put up with me 'forever and always'?" I chuckled.

Steve chuckled a little bit, but I could tell he had been trying to be serious. And I didn't do well with these 'serious' talks.

"Maybe you should get a new girl," he suggested, lightening the mood, "I mean, Sylvia wasn't nothing special, anyway. We could find you a broad who won't two time ya."

My eyes opened as I recalled the night before when Hallie had finally convinced me to let her be my girl. I wasn't so sure, for some reason, that I wanted Steve and they guys to know just yet, though.

"Nah, man," I said, "I'm cool on my own."

"Are you sure," he persisted, sitting up straighter, "Because my cousin's coming to town next week and-"

"No, Steve," I interrupted him. I remembered Steve's cousin. She wasn't exactly what I would call a sight for sore eyes. Either way though, I had Hallie. I just wish Steve would shut up about it.

"Wait," Steve said, after studying my face for a while, "Do you already.. Have a girl?"

I swallowed.

"No," I said.

"Liar," Steve smirked.

I rolled my eyes and turned away.

"You _are_ lying!" He said and laughed his usual, playful, annoying laugh.

I ignored him and continued smoking my cigarette.

"Is it that new, greasy broad that moved in the house next to Sylvia's?" he asked.

"No," I said sharply.

"Then who is it?" he asked, "Do I know her?"

"You _don't _know her." I said, getting highly annoyed.

His eyebrows furrowed in.

"But I know most all the girls on this side of-" He stopped mid sentence and widened his eyes.

"You're not dating a..a _Soc_ are you?" He asked.

I laughed, remembering my conversation with Hallie

_I don't even know what a Soc is! _She had said, _And what is all this Greaser business? _

"No," I said, still smirking, remembering Hallie's enraged confusion.

"Well then who is she?" He asked impatiently.

I sighed in defeat.

"Her name is Hallie," I said, "She's new here."

"Greaser?" He asked.

"No," I said again, "She's neutral."

Steve laughed incredulously.

"That won't last long around here," he said, "Too much rivalry for that."

I nodded. I couldn't disagree with him there.

We sat for a few minutes, smoking and just thinking. Then Steve smiled and stood up.

"Do the guys know about her?" He asked.

"Nah," I shrugged.

An evil smile crept up on his face.

"Steve.." I warned as I realized what he was thinking.

But before I could even stand up to stop him, he had already taken off down the sidewalk toward the Curtis' house, where I knew everyone would be waiting. I rolled my eyes and stood up before stomping out my half-gone cigarette and trudging after him. _Oh, boy._


	8. Chapter 7

_**I do not own the outsiders, yo. Sorry I've been keeping you waiting for so long for an update, I'll try not to make a habit of it! So without further ado… (:**_

"Dally's dating a Soc!" I heard Steve announce to the gang as I trudged through the screen door behind him. All of their gazes automatically shot to me.

I rolled my eyes.

"She's not a Soc," I said.

"Okay, okay," Steve said, dismissively waving off my comment, "So apparently she's -how did you say it?- on the fence?"

"She's neutral," I corrected him, pulling out a smoke and lighting it.

"Neutral?" Soda asked incredulously.

"On the fence?" Pony echoed.

I simply shrugged and blew a lungful of smoke out.

Darry looked like he could barely believe this.

"That's great for you, Dal," he said, "What's here name?"

"Hallie," I muttered, "She's new here. To Tulsa, I mean."

They nodded silently, not knowing what else to say. I didn't know either. I guess this was a fairly.. foreign subject -you know, me having an actual girlfriend. And she wasn't even a greaser. But, true to his character, Two-Bit did not let the awkward silence go uninterrupted.

"She got a sister?" He piped up with a goofy grin.

Everyone laughed, relieved that the mood was back to normal.

My lips formed a smirk around my cigarette as I shook my head. But then I stopped. Huh. I didn't know if she _did_ have sisters. I guess I don't remember her saying anything about any siblings, though. Oh, well.

"When do we get to meet her?" Soda asked.

The rest of the gang looked at me expectantly. Obviously, Soda had not been the only one who'd wanted to know the answer to that.

I blinked at them.

"I don't know," I said truthfully.

"Soon, hopefully," Darry said politely, "Any girl of yours is welcome here with us."

I didn't know if I wanted to thank him or smack him for always being so overly generous. Also, for referring to her as 'my girl'. The idea hadn't exactly sunken in yet and I didn't need him being so… open with it. So I just shrugged at him.

"You been dating for long?" Pony spoke up. I was surprised. He hadn't talked a whole lot ever since the incident. He kept to himself even more these days.

"Nah," I said, "Only since last night."

"She cute?" Asked Soda.

I thought for a second, picturing Hallie's dark hair and skin, bright green eyes, and curvy body in my head. Cute? Ha. Hot, maybe. Sexy even. But cute? That's the understatement of the year.

"Yeah, she's good looking," I nodded with a smirk, earning a couple of hoots and hollers from the guys.

"Yeah, yeah," I said, quieting them down. I was eager to get the topic of conversation off of me and Hallie, "Anybody up for a movie tonight? My treat."

We all smirked, knowing full well that none of us ever actually _paid_ to get into the Nightly Double. Saying 'my treat' after we offered was kind of like our private joke.

"Pony's got homework tonight," Darry said, crashing the mood, "And Soda has work early tomorrow. Sorry Dal, but we're out for tonight."

I nodded and looked to Steve and Two-Bit.

"Sure," they both said together.

"One one condition," Two-Bit added.

I raised an eyebrow at him.

"You need to bring your new lady.. And any possible female, blonde relatives of hers," said with a rueful smile.

My eyes hardened. It was making me mad how much they wanted to meet her. It really wasn't a big deal either way, and I know I was overreacting, but I couldn't help but be irritated.

I shoved my cigarette box into my pocket and crossed my arms over my chest.

"You seem so sure that she-and any possible blonde relatives- would even want to meet you in the first place," I said.

"Come on," He said sitting back on the couch and crossing left leg over the right, "I'm a charmer. The ladies love me."

This finally broke me. I laughed out loud, along with the rest of the gang.

"Sure, Two-Bit," Pony said.

"I am!" Two-Bit insisted.

Our laughter was interrupted by knocking on the front door so I turned around to open it. I was surprised to see a small, familiar-looking, little girl standing there on the Curtis' front step.

She pushed right passed me and walked into the living room.

"Keith!" she yelled. Two-Bit stood up off of the couch, obviously surprised at her presence and we all chuckled at the use of his real name.

"Rachel?" He said, furrowing his eyebrows down at her, "What the heck are you doing here?"

She stood firmly and crossed her arms.

"You were supposed to be home a half an hour ago to make dinner, and Mom said unless I found you dead on the side of the road, you are in big trouble when you get home," She said matter-of-factly.

Two-Bit rolled his eyes and groaned.

"Okay," he huffed "Bye, guys. I guess we'll have to catch a movie some other time, Dal." And then he led his sister out the front door, holding onto her tiny hand.

"What was mom thinking, letting you walk out in the streets by yourself?" I heard Two-Bit say to Rachel as they stepped off of the porch.

I turned to Steve.

"We still on?" I asked.

"Nah, man," he said, "that reminded me - my old man needed me home for chores tonight."

I nodded and then before I could stop myself, I looked over to the spot on the floor next to Ponyboy.

"Johnn-"

It slipped out before I could help myself and it did _not_ go unnoticed by everyone. It had been an automatic reaction to invite Johnny to the movies with me, but then realized -too late, of course- that Johnny wasn't here. Ever again.

The guys looked down at their laps and played with their hands, nervously. No one ever brought this up. Ever.

"Uh, I'll catch you later," I mumbled before dashing out the door.

I went at a constant walk/run until the Curtis -and Cade- house was out of my sight. Then I stopped to take a breath. My eyes closed against the harsh sunlight and my lungs gasped for air.. And smoke. It was then that I realized my cigarette had fallen out of my mouth quite a while back. I must have been to upset to notice. So, deciding that it was silly to go back and search for the dropped cigarette and realizing that my Kools box was empty, I looked around for the nearest convenient store. That's when I spotted David Mary's Grocery Stop. Seeing the old, poorly lit sign on the front of the building reminded me of the night I had met Hallie for the first time. The paper grocery bags she had been carrying had the David Mary's logo on the front of it. The thought of Hallie suddenly sparked my memory. I still needed a movie date for tonight. And who would be better than my pretty, cute-hot-sexy, on-the-fence girlfriend?

**Okay, so it's short. Don't kill me. It's like, the middle of the night right now, and let me just say, I am exhausted. Longer chap next time? Yes? Okay. Welp. Reviews are highly encouraged, as always! Tell me any theories, guesses, or opinions you have about my story - I'd love to hear! Thank you always for reading.**

**-Amanda**


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